


purple & red in shades of green

by mrs_theirin



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Hawke Escapes the Fade (Dragon Age), Hurt/Comfort, Mage Hawke (Dragon Age), Marriage Proposal, Minor Female Lavellan/Solas (Dragon Age), Reunited and It Feels So Good, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26154796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrs_theirin/pseuds/mrs_theirin
Summary: Varric's life becomes a hazy routine after Eden Hawke is left in the Fade; after all, what is there left to live for? Saving the world means nothing to him if she's not there with him. Fortunately, a pride demon's roar and a burst of green light might be enough to change his mind.
Relationships: Female Hawke/Varric Tethras, Hawke/Varric Tethras
Comments: 10
Kudos: 37





	purple & red in shades of green

Varric’s life had become something of a routine nowadays. Athena let him sit out of missions, a soft smile on her face as she told him to take care of himself. The shock had taken a toll on her too, though she hid it well. Eden has a habit of leaving memorable impressions on people.

Had. He had to remember that.

His routine was simple: wake up, grab coffee, and make his way down to the Herald’s Rest. There he would spend the entire day telling stories and making people laugh. After that, he’d tell the elf goodnight and sit at his desk till the sun came up, get two hours of sleep, and repeat. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but those restless hours were filled with tears. All of her letters were stained by now, for sure.

He stepped out of his room, making his way outside. Today was a simple day; no missions, no judgements, no work. Athena was spending time with Solas. Varric was happy that she had some time to herself, it seemed she always had some other duty to fulfill, and Solas was helping her develop some feelings other than calm.

Unfortunately that didn’t mean her horrified, mournful expression had left his mind. To see his normally level-headed leader show terror was almost too much to handle. He tried not to think about it.

He opened the door to the Herald’s Rest, greeted by loud cheers and shouts. He sat down for drinks, and had only been there for a few moments before the ground shook. A large boom sounded along with a roar Varric would recognize. A pride demon. Varric, Iron Bull, and the Chargers rushed outside, surprised at the sight of a rift in the middle of the courtyard. “Didn’t Reaver plug up the hole that would stop this from happening?” he grumbled.

Iron Bull laughed. “Something new every day. Boss should be here soon.”

As if on command, Athena flew out of the building, lugging along her large weapon. She said something to herself, then turned towards them. “Iron Bull, Varric! Join me!” she yelled, running down the stairs.

The two hurried to the rift as Varric’s mind began to race. If rifts were opening up with the Breach closed, they were going to be dealing with a lot more trouble, especially if they could open right in the middle of Skyhold. The roar came again, shaking the ground and causing residents to scatter. The rift was getting bigger by the second, but Varric could swear he saw— 

Hands. Two hands were prying the rift open, trembling with the effort. A bit of black hair fell out and his heart dropped into his stomach. “Wait!” he shouted, rushing to the Inquisitor. “Don’t close it!”

Reaver turned, dropping her hand. “Varric? Why not?”

“Because that’s Eden!” he cried, desperation making his words frantic. 

“Eden? Eden Hawke?” she asked, turning back towards the rift. It had opened a bit more now, the scenery of the Fade visible behind a shadowed figure. Eden. It had to be her. The hands tightened around the swirling green and yellow of the rift, and with a scream of effort from their owner, the rift burst open with a loud crack.

A tired, dirty, panting Eden Hawke stood before them, hair ratted and clothes torn. She turned back into the Fade, twisting her hands in the direction of something inside. A horrible screech sounded throughout Skyhold. Eden backed out of the rift, hands still in the air. “Close it!” she shouted, her voice broken and raspy.

Varric thought he’d never hear that voice again. Even damaged and frantic, it was still Eden’s voice. His Eden. His Eden, who he thought he’d never see again. His Eden, who stood before him, beaten and bruised, but still powerful as ever. His Eden, who tore through the Fade itself to get back home to him.

Athena immediately reacted, raising her hand to close the rift, and it snapped shut almost as soon as she did. The unfortunate result was a severed pride demon’s head crashing to the ground at Eden’s feet. Varric watched her shoulders relax, her head hanging. He realized what was happening and surged forward, catching her as she collapsed, the both of them hitting the ground.

“Eden,” he murmured, cradling her face in his hand. “Eden.”

He slid his hand into hers, noticing the scars and bruises on her palms, contrasting her paler-than-normal skin. A scar trailed down her chest and seemed to go pretty far down. A lump began to form in his throat as he gazed down at her, watching her eyelashes flutter as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

“Told you not to worry about me,” she managed before her body went slack.

* * *

When Eden’s eyes opened, she was no longer in the Fade. She had a vague recollection of reaching her hands through and ripping that horrible place apart. She wasn’t quite sure how she did it, but she did know she was on Varric’s bed in Skyhold, blankets tucked underneath her comfortably. She shifted, making the bed creak. Varric shot up from the desk.

“You’re awake,” he said, breathless.

“Honestly, Varric, if I knew almost dying would get you this worked up, I would’ve tried it a long time ago,” she joked, sitting up. She winced, grabbing her side. 

Varric rushed to the door. “I’ll go get Chuckles. He should be able to heal you.”

“Varric,” she called out. “Varric!”

His hand paused on the wood as he hung his head. He stood in silence for a moment before his body began to shake, quiet sobs filling the air. Eden slid out of bed, sliding her arms around his shoulders, burying her head in his neck. Maker, she missed the way he smelled. She never forgot it, not for one second. His smell, his smile, his touch was the only thing that kept her going in the Fade.

The worst day (if she could even say “day”, time works differently in the Fade) was the first time a demon approached under his guise. They had whispered promises in her ear, touched her, kissed her, but it wasn’t the same. The feel was all wrong, and the  _ smell.  _ Varric smelled like vanilla, like ink and wood, like the embers of a fireplace, not dust and mold. 

“Varric,” she whispered, tightening her grip. “I love you more than anything in the world.”

“Quill,” he muttered. “How could you do that to me?”

She winced. Although it felt like years had passed, she remembered it clearly. She had given Alistair a hug, persuading him to go on ahead. She owed him. Besides, she wasn’t going to let the last of the Theirin bloodline die out. That had gotten a laugh out of him and she watched him and the Inquisitor jump out of the rift. Athena seemed like a reasonable woman. Eden knew Varric would be in good hands.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she murmured into his skin, hoping her words would nestle themselves in, making their way to his heart, so he knew she was truly sorry. “I couldn’t let Alistair die. You know I couldn’t.”

“I know,” he repeated, sliding his thumb over her hand. “And you know I wish I didn’t.”

“I know.” She held him tighter, if that was possible, and placed a kiss on his neck. She felt his breath hitch. “But I’m here now. I’m here, Varric.”

He turned around, making her slide to her knees. He cupped her face in his hands and she leaned into the touch, tears sliding down her cheeks and getting caught between his fingers. “Look at me,” he said.

She looked at him. More than a decade’s worth of love was shining in his eyes, glistening with his tears. It was selfish and wrong of her to think it, but she swore he had never looked as beautiful as he did in that moment. “Varric—”

“I love you, Eden Hawke. And I want you to marry me. We’ve kept this secret for too long—”

“Admittedly, not well,” she offered, a weak chuckle emerging from her throat.

“No,” he laughed, “not well. But that’s because my love for you is too strong to hide. I know I sound like one of my shitty books, but I love you, Quill. I loved you 10 years ago, I love you now, and I’ll love you for as many years as we have together after now. I want to make you my wife, officially. We can do it wherever you want, we can do it in the Hanged Man for fuck’s sake but—”

“Let’s do it here. As soon as possible.”

He paused, processing her words, then smiled. “Sounds good, Quill. Can we stop being sappy now?”

“I love you, you know?” she said, her first true smile in who knew how long growing on her face.

“I know,” he responded, and kissed her.

She had almost forgotten what it was like to be kissed by him. His lips on hers filled her with warmth from head to toe, shivers running down her spine. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself as close to him as she possibly could, whimpering at the feel of his hands on her waist. His stubble tickled her cheeks and she cried harder, pulling away from the kiss to bury her face into his chest. He stroked her hair, kissing the top of her forehead as she sobbed, her tears wetting his shirt. 

“Let’s get you cleaned up, okay?” he offered, not moving. “You’ll take a nice bath, wash up, and then you can tell me the stories behind all of those cool scars, deal?”

She laughed, her face still in his chest. “Deal. This is a bit too melodramatic for me.”

He hummed. “Don’t feel you have to hide from me, Eden.”

Eden smiled at him, pulling away from his chest. “Takes one to know one,” she teased. “Besides, I’m not. I haven’t cried this hard since Carver told me I wasn’t his favorite sister.”

Varric laughed, and it filled her with hope and joy. “Well, did you really expect him to pick you over Sunshine?”

“Of course I did! I’m absolutely lovable.”

“So’s Sunshine, Quill.” A long pause filled the room before Varric’s expression softened. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up. Your hair’s a mess.”

“Truly a tragedy,” she said, and they made their way to his bath, spending time together as they had before, almost as if she had never gone. In a way, it was like she hadn’t. Eden was always with Varric, and he was always with her. No matter what.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! sorry i literally only ever write about eden and varric aklghdsklg i promise i have other wips. you can find me on tumblr @ mrs-theirin! and if you came from tumblr, hi! thank you <3 hope you guys have a nice day


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